Puerto Rico Energy Czar Faces Calls to Quit
PUERTO RICO · ENERGY
Key Facts
- The call On Friday 6 November 2026 a Puerto Rico lawmaker demanded that energy czar Josué Colón resign.
- The trigger A House committee sent referrals over the contract to state and federal authorities.
- The contract A US$5.9 billion, 10-year deal for 400 megawatts of temporary power was signed on 10 June 2026.
- The collapse The federal Oversight Board revoked its approval on 14 August after a partner denied taking part.
- The status Referrals are not findings of guilt, and Colón says his account has not changed.
A lawmaker demanded on Friday 6 November 2026 that the Puerto Rico energy czar, Josué Colón, resign over a failed power contract. A House committee had sent referrals to state and federal authorities, which is not a finding of guilt.
The energy czar is the official the governor appointed to oversee electricity policy and coordinate the island’s agencies. The contract at the center of the fight was worth US$5.9 billion over 10 years.
What Happened This Week
The House Government Committee, chaired by Representative Víctor Parés Otero, released a partial report on the contract. It sends referrals to state and federal authorities, including the Justice Department of Puerto Rico.
On Friday 6 November, Representative Héctor Ferrer Santiago said Colón had lost the credibility to stay in office. Ferrer accused him of lying under oath to the House, and Colón says his account has not changed.
The committee asked the Justice Department of Puerto Rico to decide whether Colón’s testimony deserves an investigation under the island’s Penal Code. It stressed that the referral does not presume that any crime took place.
The US$5.9 Billion Contract That Fell Apart
PREPA, Puerto Rico’s state-owned power utility, signed the contract on Wednesday 10 June 2026 with Power Expectations LLC, Enchanted Rock LLC and Reyes Contractor LLC. The deal covered 400 megawatts of temporary generation over 10 years, to help close an expected shortfall of 700 to 850 megawatts.
The Financial Oversight and Management Board, a federal panel supervising the island’s finances, gave conditional approval on 8 May and final approval on 2 June. On Friday 14 August it revoked that approval and told PREPA to end the contract.
The board acted after ERock Inc., the parent of Enchanted Rock, said on 7 August that its name and signature were used without authorization. The utility’s procurement office had said Power Expectations lacked the money and know-how to deliver without that partner.
What the House Committee Found
The committee says the file shows “a chain of omissions and hasty decisions” rather than proof of criminal intent. People who knew of the dispute did not tell the person who had to decide, it says.
It also says nobody checked whether the signer had authority to sign, and that the deal ended before any payment. Its referrals reach the island’s Special Independent Prosecutor Panel, the Inspector General, the Ethics Office and the Comptroller.
The committee also sent the questions of signing authority and a corporate document to the FBI and the US Attorney’s Office for Puerto Rico. The contract planned to seek federal disaster-agency money for grid connection costs, though the utility told the Oversight Board it did not.
In Plain English, Who Is Who
Josué Colón is an electrical engineer named energy czar by Governor Jenniffer González on Wednesday 8 January 2025. He also runs the Public-Private Partnerships Authority, the agency that arranges private deals for public projects.
Mary Carmen Zapata is the former executive director of PREPA, and Osvaldo Carlo Linares heads the Third-Party Procurement Office, the body that ran the bidding. Héctor Ferrer Santiago is the House member who called for Colón to go, and Parés Otero is the committee chair who signed the report.
Enchanted Rock is a Houston-based power-equipment company whose role in the deal is disputed.
What Colón and the Others Say
Colón said his version of events “has not changed” and that his own agency made the first referral to authorities in August. He said the report confirms the bidding began with an order from the island’s Energy Bureau and that the utility was responsible for the contract.
Zapata’s lawyer, Omar Barroso, said the report itself admits she was kept in the dark for weeks before she stopped the project. Carlo Linares declined to comment, saying four investigative agencies, including the FBI, are already looking at the matter.
The governor’s office said on Sunday 4 October that it would not interfere in the House review of the energy czar. It added that it does not weigh the evidence in what Colón told the House.
What It Means for You
Puerto Rico is a US territory whose residents are US citizens, and a federal board decides which large contracts its power utility may sign. The collapse of this 400-megawatt deal leaves the island’s expected power shortfall open.
Washington is already involved, because Resident Commissioner Pablo José Hernández, the island’s representative in Congress, sent Colón new questions on 7 October. He asked why it took about seven weeks to refer the allegations to authorities and set 15 October as the deadline for documents.
The case also puts federal agencies at the center, because federal authorities are among those looking at the matter. Readers can follow the wider story in our report on how Puerto Rico is hunting for new gas supplies.
Our guide to who holds power in Puerto Rico explains the offices involved. The island’s elected leaders and the federal board share control of its finances.
What Is Not Known
It is not known whether the Special Independent Prosecutor Panel will open a preliminary inquiry into Colón, and it has announced no date. The Justice Department of Puerto Rico and the FBI can say whether they open cases.
It is also not known whether Governor Jenniffer González will keep Colón in his post, a decision that is hers alone. Her office said in early October that it would not interfere in the House review.
More: Latin America news in English, every day from The Rio Times.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Puerto Rico’s energy czar?
Josué Colón is an engineer whom Governor Jenniffer González named energy czar on 8 January 2025. He also runs the Public-Private Partnerships Authority.
Has Josué Colón been charged with a crime?
The House committee only asked state and federal bodies to evaluate his conduct, and it said the referral does not presume any crime. Colón says his account of events has not changed.
Why did the power contract collapse?
The Oversight Board revoked its approval on 14 August 2026 after ERock Inc. said its name and signature were used without authorization. The board called the procurement irreparably impaired.
Why does this matter to Americans?
Puerto Rico is a US territory with US citizens, and federal authorities are among those looking at the matter. The island also relies on a federal oversight board for its finances.
Sources: Financial Oversight and Management Board for Puerto Rico, media release on the Power Expectations contract, 14 August 2026; Puerto Rico House Government Committee, partial report under House Resolution 42 on the Power Expectations contract, 5 November 2026; Office of Resident Commissioner Pablo José Hernández, press release on the temporary generation contract, 7 October 2026; Statements by Josué Colón, Omar Barroso and Osvaldo Carlo Linares on the report, 5 November 2026.
Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief · Editorial standards · Report an error